


Quite So New

by alexenglish



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cuddling & Snuggling, First Kiss, M/M, The X Factor Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-22
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-11-03 14:37:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10969290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexenglish/pseuds/alexenglish
Summary: Louis is touchy, and casual cuddles confuse Niall.





	Quite So New

**Author's Note:**

  * For [the_painless_moustache](https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_painless_moustache/gifts), [tmeachhh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tmeachhh/gifts).



> This was originally supposed to be a little thing based on [this post](http://queerlyalex.tumblr.com/post/160793513842/thepainlessmoustache-queerlyalex-the-ease-and) wherein Louis teaches Niall how to be affectionate through touch and Niall teaches Louis how to use his words, but it ended up more the first bit and not the second, but either way.
> 
> Shout out to Erin for basically giving me this idea, what would I do without you.

The first time Louis throws himself into Niall’s lap, Niall flinches. 

It’s reflex more than anything, he did grow up with an older brother after all. And Louis is known to pinch and prod, and make everyone as uncomfortable as he possibly can before he runs off again.

So, Niall flinches, throws his arms up and everything, manages to whack Louis straight across the nose.

“Oi!” Louis yelps, voice sliding high and hoarse. Niall flushes, feeling terrible, cheeks going hot. He giggles to cover up the instantaneous anxiety.

“Shit, sorry, sorry!” Niall says, keeping his voice light, like maybe it was on purpose and not because Niall’s not used to having people all over him. “Surprised me, is all.”

“Well keep those hands to yourself, then,” Louis says, aiming a glare at Niall.

It’s early enough in their friendship that Niall doesn’t know whether it’s fake – doesn’t know if Louis is really upset or not. Eventually, he’ll be able to tell, but it’ll take another year and near constant observation. Right now, it makes Niall’s heart trip up nervously.

“Could say the same to you, mate,” Niall says, enough of a teasing edge to his voice so Louis knows he’s joking. So it doesn’t seem like he’s genuinely worried about this whole exchange even though he kind of is. “Always got your hands where they don’t belong.”

There’s a glint in Louis’ eye when he smacks his hands against Niall’s thighs, and grabs them roughly.

“I do, don’t I?” he asks, grin on his face keen as Niall’s ever seen it, and Niall can feel his face heat up all over again for an entirely different reason, stomach heavy with a curl of arousal as Louis’ hands slide up,  _up_  –

“Louis!” 

Louis rears back and twists just in time to catch a lap full of Harry – string bean limbs and curls everywhere – elbow knocking into Niall’s arm as he presses his face to Louis’ neck. Liam comes barreling into the room next, throwing a Nerf football at Harry’s back.

There’s a dramatic pout on Louis’ face as he wraps his arms around Harry and protects him, kicking out with a socked foot to warn Liam away – and just like that Niall’s forgotten, able to untangle himself with little effort.

When he hops off the couch, Liam seizes the opportunity to pounce, shoving Louis and Harry into Niall’s empty space before climbing on top of them.

What a relief.

Niall grins down at them fondly, walking backwards to keep out of their way as they tumble to the floor, yelling at each other. Hands curl around his forearms and he jumps, surprised, but it’s only Zayn.

“Watch out,” Zayn says, and then steps away once Niall’s steadied. Niall appreciates the steadying – vision fuzzy from getting up too quickly – and the space. Zayn’s the best at giving Niall space. 

“Cheers,” he says, knocking their shoulders together. Zayn looks at him for a moment, before he smiles.

“Don’t let ‘im get to you,” Zayn mumbles, jerking his chin at Louis – or Niall assumes he means Louis, the tangle of boys in front of them is a singular object at the moment. “He’s obsessed with pushing everyone’s buttons.”

“Don’t I know it,” Niall says good-naturedly, and doesn’t think about Louis’ hands on his thighs, or the way he was watching Niall like he knew exactly  _which_  buttons he was pressing.

 

 

The next time it happens, Niall isn’t prepared for it any better than the first time –  watching a movie and suddenly Louis’s lying across his lap, head cushion on his thigh. He’s just  _lying there_ , and Niall doesn’t know what to do with his hands. Should he keep them to himself, or put them on Louis’ shoulder, or – god forbid – play with his hair like Harry or Zayn would do.  

Christ.

Niall’s tense enough that Louis gets up after a few excruciatingly long minutes and frowns at him. “Not a very good pillow,” he says, in a very grumpy voice.

“Guess not.” Niall laughs awkwardly, and shrugs, and rearranges his limbs nervously before giving in to the urge to bounce his leg as quickly as possible. It doesn’t relieve any tension, but at least he’s doing something other than tugging Louis back onto his lap.

The movie’s still going, so that’s where Niall’s attention is, but he can feel Louis’ gaze on his face. When he looks, Louis  _is_  staring, blue light of the TV along one side of his face, eyes nearly black like the shadow curving his soft cheek like a caress.

Eventually his face slims down the rest of the way, barely but noticeable enough, until Louis is all angles. Cheekbones sharp as the edge of his smile, jaw a straight line that Niall will want to test with the pad of his thumb like a knife, but for now, he’s soft and young and somehow so much less accessible.

Niall raises an eyebrow. All Louis does is shrug before going back to watch the movie. There’s plenty of space between them, and Niall can’t help thinking Louis did that on purpose.

 

 

It keeps on like that.

Louis touching him, and collapsing on him, and grabbing him, and Niall tensing up every time, waiting for the catch. He  _has an older brother_ , he knows how this goes. Eventually he’ll get shoved, or tripped, or pinched, and he’ll laugh it off and get Louis back, and –

The punchline never comes. Which is suspicious in itself, but he’s watched Louis watch the other boys. Can see the way Louis catalogs all their reactions, gauging how far he can push them before they snap back.

Turns out, Liam’s rope is the shortest; and Harry’s is short enough, but he’ll never admit it so long as Louis’s giving him attention; and Zayn’s is surprisingly long, but Louis doesn’t seem to want to fuck with him as much as the others, probably because Zayn won’t react the way they will.

Niall likes to think he falls in between them all, some sort of happy medium, but Louis’s taking his time figuring it out, what with all the poking and prodding and not doing much else about it.

And times like this – Louis pressed all along his side while they’re playing FIFA, an unrelenting weight that Niall has to elbow out of the way to successfully make more than one goal. That’s definitely more familiar, Greg used to sit on him so that he would lose, but it’s obnoxious coming from Louis, especially when he  _pouts_  at Niall after Niall’s knocked him away so many times and stomps off.

Or when Louis collapses next to him on the bed, so Niall scoots to make room, and Louis stares at him before scooting closer. And keeps scooting closer as Niall moves away, until Niall’s back hits the wall and the front of Louis’ knees knock his own, and –

One of the other boys comes into the room yelling and bounces on top of them, and then it’s a wrestle match between the three of them.

That Niall can handle – toppling over and shoving each other and pushing Louis around. It’s much more difficult to handle the dark blue of Louis’ eyes as Louis stares at Niall like he’s a map without a legend, and Niall’s willing him to figure it out.

Sooner, rather than later. Niall keeps getting too caught up in the way Louis occupies all the space around him. He’s stupidly obsessed with Louis’ attention. It’s started lighting him up, making him go warm and woozy, and Niall can sense the terrifying beginnings of a crush.

The sooner Louis stops being so tentative and starts getting on Niall’s ass the way he does the other boys, the better. 

 

 

There’s a camera interview in the middle of the afternoon, pulling the boys from practice. All of them stood in a row like poorly behaved ducklings. Louis’s hanging off the nearest pair of shoulders – Liam’s this time – until Liam steps away and Louis drops off, only to pivot over to Niall.

An arm around his shoulders isn’t as unfamiliar as a whole body flung on top of him, but he’s waiting for it all the same – could be fingers digging into his ribs, or playing with his ear, or whatever else Louis decides.

He can feel how tense he is, but he can’t quite make himself relax or lean back against Louis. There’s a displeased furrow to Louis’ brow when Niall glances over, and Niall hates the look on his face when he figures out Niall isn’t going to play along properly.

The weight Louis’s putting on him gets considerably more noticeable as the interview goes on, until Niall’s holding Louis up. Niall doesn’t bother volunteering to answer any questions, too preoccupied with keeping them from toppling over.

It’s short enough that Niall can’t bring himself to fuss, but once the camera’s pointed down, he shoves Louis off immediately. Louis turns on him with a glare, but Niall’s already spinning away, heading towards the door with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

He feels like a brat, but he’s sick of it. Sick of constantly feeling defensive when Louis touches him.

Of course, Louis runs after him. Because he’s Louis and he has to keep pushing, can’t help himself. Eventually, Niall will realize that’s what Louis always does when he decides he cares about something, but right now, it’s fucking obnoxious.

“Hey! Nialler!” Louis jogs up to him and promptly shoves him into the closest doorway, which happens to be the bathroom. Louis flips on the switch and the room washes in too-bright yellowing light.

“Christ,” Niall says, heart jumping, they’re too close so Niall backs up, low back pressing into the counter. Louis is staring in that way that he does.

Niall’s flushed, and fidgety, and embarrassed for no reason other than feeling like he’s been caught out even though he’s done nothing wrong.

“ _Look_ ,” Louis starts, voice high and annoyed. “You don’t have to like me, but you’ve got to act like you do, that’s the whole point, innit?”

It feels like a slap in the face.

“What?” Niall asks, squeaking a bit. He clears his throat, ignore the way his stomach goes sour. “I-I do – Lou, I do like you.”

Louis narrows his eyes. “You don’t.” He sounds sure of himself. Niall doesn’t know where this is coming from.

“I  _do_.”

“You don’t!” Louis insists. “You’re twitchy every time I so much as touch you, you’re always moving when I come around you –”

“Louis –”

“Like okay, if you don’t want me near you, but for the sake –”

“Louis!” 

“For the sake of the competition –”

“Louis!” Niall steps closer and grabs Louis’ upper arms roughly. Louis stills, watching him and Niall takes a deep breath, steadying himself. “I like you just fine.”

“Niall –”

“God, you never shut up,” Niall says, laughing uncomfortably. The bathroom is stupidly hot, cramped. For the first time since Niall has met Louis, Louis is  _visibly_  upset with Niall. “I’m just not used to it, is all.”

“Well, it does take a bit to get used to me,” Louis says thoughtfully, dropping some of the defensive tension in his shoulders. Niall sighs.

Ugh.

“It’s not you,” Niall admits slowly. “It’s the… touching.” It sounds stupid when he says it out loud. “I’m not used to it, is all.”

“You’re not used to… touching?” Louis asks, face a mixture of bemusement and disbelief, like he doesn’t know if Niall’s taking the piss or not. 

“Mate, I grew up in a house with a da who was always working,” Niall says. “My brother is seven years older than me. ‘S not normal.”

They did hug, they were affectionate, but there’s a difference between hugs hello and goodbye, and whatever it was Louis did when he climbed all over people. 

Louis looks personally offended. “Not normal,” he echoes. “It’s  _perfectly_  normal.”

“Okay,” Niall says. He doesn’t doubt it. After all, none of the other boys seem as uncomfortable as Niall is. “S’not something I’m used to.”

“Never been cuddled,” Louis says, under his breath. “Well, shit.”

“Not  _never_ ,” Niall protests, but he’s hard pressed to think of a recent example. Which is alright, it’s not the end of the world, he’s not going to cease to exist just because he hasn't had someone other than Louis or the boys lie against him in a long time.

“Well, you’re forgiven then –”

“For  _what_?” Niall asks, meeting Louis’ eyes. There’s mischief tucked into Louis’ smile. Niall’s terrified, but thrilled all the same. The moment breaks, and Louis claps him on the shoulder. 

“We’ll fix this.”

“Fix _what_?!”

 

 

Louis attempts to rectify Niall’s lack of cuddles in the most Louis way possible. It’s obnoxious, and uncomfortable, and Louis is somehow completely charming the entire time.

“I’m going to hug you now,” he says, putting one arm around Niall. When Niall stills, he adds, “Breathe.”

“I’m waiting,” Niall explains, letting Louis pull him in all the way and wrap both arms around him. There’s a beat, then another as Louis holds on, and holds on, and – Niall exhales into it, feeling his body melt, and Louis chuckles and squeezes him before letting go. 

“Not too bad,” Louis says approvingly, pushing his fringe back from his face before looking at Niall one last time and moving away, onto torment someone else no doubt. 

 

 

“May I lie here?” Louis asks, pointing to the spot on the bed next to Niall. Then, when Niall says yes. “May I lie _uncomfortably_ close to you?”

 

 

“May I sit on your lap, Niall?” Louis asks, when they’re in the practice room and Niall’s sat on the last chair.

 

 

“Is it quite alright if I put my arms around your middle while we stand here?” Louis asks quietly, before an interview, looking pleased with himself when Niall nods – unable to speak as his belly swoops so hard it aches. The feeling is fairly new, but  _unfairly_  common when Louis goes to touch him now. 

 

 

“How do you feel about a nighttime cuddle?” Louis asks, poking his head into Niall’s bunk in the middle of the night. 

“Sounds fine,” Niall says, not bothering to ask how Louis knew he was awake, figures it’s a Louis thing. Niall’s always the last one awake anyway, staring at the bottom of the top bunk, mind racing a million or so miles an hour.

He scoots way back, making room for Louis to crawl in, and stays with his shoulder blades pressed into the wall as Louis gets situated. He’s like a cat, pawing over the blankets and fixing up his pillow. The corner of his mouth is tight, sleep clinging to the thin skin under his eyes.

Usually, Louis is asleep by now.

“What is it?” Niall whispers, once Louis’ stops shuffling around, enough light from the window that Niall can tell Louis is watching him. There’s no response, and he’s not sure if Louis hears at first, but eventually Louis blinks and shakes his head. 

Niall’s far too aware of Louis in his bed. The breathe of space between them. The way the tops of his feet hit Louis’, the way their knees knock. Two parentheses curved towards each other, lying there staring at each other. 

He gets that awful swoop in his belly again, heart hammering hard for no reason. It’s truly too dark to see the actual look on Louis’ face, and Niall wants to know what he’s thinking. 

He doesn’t ask. 

It feels alright to stare back like this. As if being in Niall’s bunk in the dark of night somehow changes anything. A cocoon of possibility wrapped tightly around them, anything could happen as long as they stay drifting on this mattress. 

A strange kind of place between sleeping and awake, existing and not existing. 

That’s probably why Niall feels the decision in his chest before Louis even makes it. Why he knows exactly what’s going to happen before Louis leans in. 

He startles anyway, rearing back and smacking into the wall. He inhales sharply, hand going to the back of his head at the bright bloom of pain. 

Louis’s frozen in front of him, half leaning up, hand reaching out because he was going to –

There’s a pause as they both listen for the others, but Harry’s still snoring and there’s no other sound except the white noise in Niall’s ears from his pulse.

“What the fuck, Niall,” he whispers, low enough that Niall has to stop taking deep breaths to hear him. “Thought you were done with that.”

“Maybe when you _hug me_ ,” Niall replies, rubbing the back of his head. “Not when you – when you –”

“When I what, Niall?” Louis asks, tense and challenging, and right, Niall definitely just moved _away_  when Louis tried to kiss him, so he probably thinks Niall’s rejecting him. It’s miracle he’s still in the bunk at all. 

Niall swallows so loudly, he’s pretty sure Louis can hear it. It’s not like he’s making an assumption, Louis was definitely gunna –

“When you go to _kiss me_ ,” Niall hisses. Louis’ head jerks to the side so quickly it’s like Niall slapped him, staring out the window, jaw tightening. The shadows cut his jaw and cheeks, and eventually this is what he looks like without the exaggerated lighting. 

Niall sees it again, like he did before, when they were in the room and the light of the TV was shining over him. Niall sees the way Louis’ll look when he’s older – more mature, but warm and bursting with childish energy. Still so painfully beautiful. 

Right now, the light from outside catches in his lashes and Niall’s heart is firmly lodged at the top of his throat. 

“Should probably apologize then,” Louis says, a bit louder than a whisper. Niall’s chest throbs. 

“No, I – I’m not used to it, is all,” Niall says, remembering their conversation in the bathroom – Louis’ incredulous expression washed out under the bright lights. 

Louis looks at him again. It’s too dark to really see his eyes, but Niall can guess at the curiosity there.

“You don’t mean you’ve _never_ …” Louis asks, voice nearly normal volume. Niall smacks his arm to get him to be quiet, flushing properly when Louis grins at him. 

“I didn’t say that,” Niall says, feeling the way his cheeks are going hot. It’s true, but he didn’t say it.

“We should fix that, then,” Louis says, voice dipping down to a whisper again. If there was enough light to go by, Niall might think Louis looked _shy_ , but it’s dark and Louis isn’t a shy type of person. 

“Uhm,” Niall says eloquently. “Probably.”

Louis laughs, bright and far too loudly. Niall scoots forward and slams his hand over Louis’ mouth to get him to shut up, unable to help his own giggles. Louis reaches up and grabs Niall’s hand, pulling it away from his mouth. 

His fringe is nearly in his eyes, messy from air drying and bed, and he… might be nervous, Niall thinks, watching him bite at his lip. His tongue licks out to soothe it over. Niall’s too fixated on his mouth to realize Louis dropped his hand until Louis is nudging him under the chin so Niall will look at him. 

“S’okay, right?” Louis asks, already leaning in. 

“Yeah,” Niall says, barely a second before Louis presses their lips together. His mouth is so _warm_ , Niall feels himself go boneless. It’s so good, like a shock of electricity blitzing up his spine. 

He lets Louis tug him in and clumsily slot their legs together, hand fluttering over Niall’s shoulder, neck, cheek before Louis settles and cups the back of Niall’s head, keeping him close. 

It’s soft, sweet, just right. 

When they pull away, Niall can barely breathe and Louis is smiling again. 

“How’s that?” he asks, sounding so very amused. 

“Dunno,” Niall says, licking at his lips. He’s pretty sure he can taste Louis. Wants to keep kissing so he can memorize it properly. “Think I still need to get used it.”

**Author's Note:**

> [reblog on tumblr](http://queerlyalex.tumblr.com/post/160937242557/quite-so-new) :)


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